Built my own PC, but it won't power up... siiigh..

[noiie]

Okay, first off, I know virtually nothing about comp hardware. That being said, here's my problem!

With the help of my boyfriend, who's pretty tech saavy, I was able to buy a new motherboard/cpu combo, case (mine was non-standard), and got some DDR. We transfered over my 30 + 6 gig hd (Maxtor), floppy drive, zip drive, cd drive, and video card. After hooking everything up, we turned on the power, and the heatsink fan turned maybe half a cycle (at most), and then stopped. Nothing else powered up. The comp can't be turned on via the power switch in the front, or in the back. Once the comp's been switched on, after the fan goes on for a sec and dies, it can't be started again unless we unplug the machine from the wall. I don't think it's a problem with the power supply itself because I bought it included with the case.

I've got an Amd Athalon XP 1500 cpu, with two ddr and two sdram slots. it's an Motherboard combo PC chips 830LR... I don't know what that last part means. Oof.

My boyfriend thinks that there's a power short happening somewhere on the motherboard, which I agree with, but we don't know WHERE. I don't have any measuring tools or anything like that to help me out. I've seen this question once or twice on here, but I'm not sure if the problem is the same, and if it is, the answers are too technically worded for me to understand. Sorry, I feel like an idiot, but could someone help in layman's terms? I'd really appreciate it.

 

[DAPUNISHER]

OK, first thing to do is a "barebones" troubleshoot, that means vid card, ram, CPU(with heatsink and fan attached ofcourse), motherboard only and reseat the ram and vid card to be certain they are seated properly. Now put the motherboard on top of the cardboard box it came in or a wood table and try to get it to boot, if it does then you know for certain it was shorting. Also read the motherboard's manual to be sure all the board's jumpers are correctly set and clear the CMOS as explained in the manual (just a good idea when having problems during the initial install) If all goes well you can put the board back in the case making sure you have no standoffs (the screws that you mount the board on) that aren't lined up with the holes in the board and that the holes and standoffs are lined up well before screwing the board down. Then make sure it'll boot, if all goes well attach the harddrive and install windows, you can add the other stuff afterwards to help reduce potential problems during the install of windows. Good luck and post back if you need more help

 

[noiie]

:frown:

Well, I think I followed your instructions to the "T." I unhooked everything extra, and reset the ram and vid cards, but to no avail! After messing with everything, I can't get the thing to turn on. When flipping on the switch, the cpu fan and system fan turns for less than half a cycle, then die. I checked the jumpers three times over. No luck!

I took some pictures with my digital camera in hopes that they might shed some light on what I'm doing wrong. They're posted on my website at geocities... yeah, geocities sucks, I know, but I can't find a better provider of free webspace, as I am BROKE. lol.

anyway, I took three:
http://www.geocities.com/noiie10110/DSC00728.JPG
http://www.geocities.com/noiie10110/DSC00730.JPG
http://www.geocities.com/noiie10110/DSC00731.JPG

Any suggestions? Thanks for the help so far! Even if i can't seem to get the blasted thing running. Grrr...
btw, the two strips of memory together are SDRAM... the one strip alone is DDR. I don't know if that's relevant or not....

 

[Buz2b]

HELLOOOOOO THERE "NOIIE"!! Sorry to "yell" but from your posted pics, I can see your problem very easily. In fact, it seems to me that your "tech savvy" boyfriend should have given you the heads up on this. You have BOTH DDR AND SDRAM installed on that board!!! That will not fly! You can use one or the other; that's it. So, make a choice; DDR or SDRAM, then follow the instructions that DAPUNISHER talked about with the minimal startup and you should be "good to go". Good Luck and BTW, it was a smart move to post the pics. That made it easier. Coodos to you!
EDIT:You might also want to reset the CMOS on the board before you try to reboot. The instructions are (barely) given in the manual. Basically, unplug the MB power connector from the Power Supply, along with ALL other power plugs to the system. Then set the jumper to CLEAR and leave it for a few minutes. Replace the jumper to the Normal position, plug in the necessary items and go. Keep in mind that doing this will most likely result in your CPU not registering at the correct speed. You might have to go into the BIOS and correct the CPU Frequency in order to correct this. YMMV of course. I wish you luck!

Follow-Up Edit:After reading Noid's response after mine I wish to correct one thing; instead of the ESC key to get into the BIOS, use the DELETE key instead. And you don't have to worry about the voltage; the MB will detect it correctly.

 

[Noid]

use ONE stick of mem only and vid card only ... reseat the mem....
clear ur CMOS if u can ... (usually a jumper... after unplugging from wall... make use capacitors drain ...give it 5 seconds or so after unpluging)
as it boots up ... hit ESc key to get into BIOS before it boots
make sure BIOS chip settings are correct for chip ... (voltage too)
then save and let it reboot

post back ...

 

[noiie]

Ahhh!!!
Okay, well, I'm pulling out my hair a bit now... I tried Buz2b's suggestions, and used just SDRAM... first one stick, and then two... and then back to one... I'm getting the same response as before. what's the response I'm supposed to get? Continuously spinning fans at least, I'd think. I don't know what else to think, other than maybe the video cards are touching each other and causing a short. Anyone want to back me up on that hypothesis?

oh, three more pics of the comp all strung out:
http://www.geocities.com/noiie10110/DSC00732.JPG
http://www.geocities.com/noiie10110/DSC00733.JPG
http://www.geocities.com/noiie10110/DSC00734.JPG

Thanks to Buz2b and Noid for their suggestions, btw. I really appreciate the responses.

 

[cz]

Try one more thing, double check your dib switchs. I had once received a MB with BIOS dib switch setted to clear. It took me several hours to find out.

 

[darkeneddays]

Im not a mega-tech or anything but I had a similar accident the other day.I was putting my wife's mobo over into a new roomy case.Hooked everything up and when I went to give it juice I got nothing.When I hit the power switch in the back the hsf would turn for about 2 secs and then stop.Was getting no love.Turns out that I had the leds(softpower) set wrong.After tinkering with it for a bit I got the right settings and "voila"...life
I know it sounds like an amatuer suggestion but take another glance at your leds and make sure you got them in correctly.
Good Luck

 

[Dolemite76]

hmm... from what I can suggest... if the fans only do a half turn and then die, sounds to me like a power problem... since you already did a barebone test... I'm thinking your power supply might need some attention... are you using a new power supply or the one from your old case (from the picture it looks like it's new but I'll cover both basis to be on the safe side)... if you're using a new one, make sure it's set to 115v if you're running it inside your home, there's a little switch in the back of the power supply by where you connect the cord... next I suggest swapping it with the old one (if compatible) and check to see if the same thing happens... if you're using the old power supply, then it might not be compatible and/or damaged and/or too weak (not supplying enough power)... if you don't have another powersupply or the old one doesn't fit... then take the new one out and take it to a local computer store and have it checked out... most places do this for free... all they do is plug a switch on the motherboard end of the powersupply to simulate a motherboard being connected and then power it up... they can tell instantly if it's good or not... this dosen't seems like a component problem to me... hope this helps... GOOD LUCK!!!

BTW... let me know what brand and/or power rating of PS you're using... e.i. 300W, 400W, etc... I've experienced this sort of problem... check this link out to see if it sounds familiar click here)... this is an old post I made right after I replaced my powersupply after it "quit" on me...

 

[JustinLerner]

Try a single video card, the MB BIOS may have some compatibility issues. Multiple or older cards that require overlay/passthrough may cause problems without the proper BIOS and settings. If you must use both, set your primary video card in the MB BIOS to the PCI card, not the AGP card. If your PCI video card has an on-board bridge for ISA emulation, then you may need to enable VGA palette snoop, for the ISA emulated portion of the card.
OR try another PCI video card if you have another to try. [Be very careful when seating AGP cards.] Carefully reseat one video card if you still have problems.

Always disconnect the power cord to your PC when adding or removing ANY component or connector(on most consumer boards for the past three years.)

When some previous writers said use a basic system, they mean one video card, no floppy, no hd, no Zip/Jazz/tape drive, only one piece of DRAM (SDRAM or DDR), one CPU [], one cpu fan, one PS, one keyboard, one mouse.

If that doesn't work, try the above setup without your mouse and keyboard attached.

Are you certain the PS of the case is load rated for your CPU/motherboard and other components?

 

[Buz2b]

Man, are you serious?!?! What the heck is that PCI video card??!! Get that thing out of there! Also, from your pics it looks like one of the RAM sticks is not seated because the white clips are not in the upright and locked position. It is extememly important (especially with that MB) that your RAM is well seated. I recommend you remove and reinstall your RAM a few times, making sure that the side clips lock into place (by themselves) each time you insert the RAM. Also, only use ONE stick for now!
And, I gotta ask, where are your wires for the power switch?? Or are you attempting to "short" the leads on the header? Don't if you are; you're not experienced enough. Get the wires that go to the power switch on the case and hook them to the correct spot on the board.
OK, to boil it down, do the following. Remove that monster PCI card. Remove and reseat the AGP card. Remove and reinstall the RAM (one stick this time!) a few times and make sure that the white clips are upright and locked. Hook up the power switch on the board (you may have to move the board around a bit in order for it to reach).
In addition, as was mention previous to this post, check the (one) jumper on that board. Make sure it is NOT in the Clear positon. And while you're at it, unplug that case fan!? Why is that on there anyway? Last but not least, (also as was previously mentioned) what is the make and model (watts) of your power supply?

 

[DAPUNISHER]

I just came back to check on you and see you've been having a mess of a time Buz2b's last post nailed it, so to reiterate what he said, get that power switch connector hooked up and use the case's power button! Get the PCI vid card out of there, and use just 1 properly seated stick of memory post back if it'll power up after that and if you get any audio error codes and count the beeps and pauses in between. Good luck and post back with your results.

 

[FluxCapacitor]

Buz2b: The RAM looks to be seated fine. The slot you are referring to is empty I believe.

But like you said, I'm curious how you're switching on the power without the power wire connected to the power switch?

Get that Voodoo video card out of there for now. My old mobo and Voodoo card wouldn't boot with stock BIOS settings, so there's a good chance yours won't either.

Also, as previously stated, make sure the voltage selector (red slider) switch on the back of the power supply is set to the proper voltage. If your house is 110V and you have the power supply set to 220V, your power WILL come on for a second, but then shut off as you're not supplying enough voltage.

Make sure you reset the CMOS before you try to boot up (jumper JP4 on the motherboard). You need to disconnect the power before you do this or it won't work. Move the jumper from pins 2-3 to pins 1-2 while the power is unplugged, not just off. Then move the jumper back to pins 2-3 and reconnect the power.

 

[Buz2b]

The slot you are referring to is empty I believe.

You might be right as it is difficult to tell but in other shots in her previous post, it was occupied. Have to wait and see. The suggestion to pull and reseat the RAM a few times still stands though. That board is notorious for tight fitting RAM slots causing problems.
By the way noiie, make sure you properly "ground" those toes when you are mucking about with that board and parts. J/K.

 

[xospec1alk]

A while ago, this happened to me and it turned out i had flipped the RAM around when i seated it...so i just flipped it back and it was good...

 

[JustinLerner]

It's not 'possible' to even force RAM in backwards into a motherboard unless the RAM is non-standard or the board engineers and manufacturers tried to do something goofy. **It may be possible to appear to be in backwards if the RAM is not really seated. There is a notch on DIMMs that corresponds to a projection on the DIMM slot to ensure they seat only one way.

New PCI, AGP, and RAM slots are always very tight. To ensure you have a good connection, ensure your board is on a flat, rigid, ESD safe surface. Then carefully re-seat each component while ensuring the board is on the rigid surface. I recommend removing the PCI video card still, but if it still won't boot with just the AGP card, try a different, basic PCI card, not the one in the picture. Almost all PCI cards with basic chipsets will work with MB BIOS, but not all other AGP cards and proprietary PCI cards like the one in your picture will work properly.

 

[noiie]

And the search for a solution continues...

All this certainly makes me wish I had a BRAIN. Sigh. As you can probably tell, I'm getting mightily discouraged. The newest problem is that I'm still getting the same result as before. If I keep the motherboard outside of the case itself, I can't plug in the power supply and the cords for the power switches at the same time. The cords are too blasted short. Should I just put the motherboard back in the case and try things from there? I tried hooking up the MB to the power supply from my old case, which is a 200 W deal. Upon doing that, I got NO response. The fans didn't even turn.

Some comments to the folks who've been kind enough to post:

CZ: what on earth is a dib switch?

darkeneddays: Leds? I'm not entirely sure that I've got the cords that connect to the front of the case hooked in properly, which could be the problem. Previously, when performing the "barebones" test, I unhooked them all together, and just had the PS hooked up. I took a picture of the cord hook-ups, and they're posted below.

Dolemite76: The power supply is indeed a new one. It's 400 W. I'm thinking that if nothing else works, I'll get to a comp supply store sometime this weekend, and have them test it for power problems. Thanks for the suggestion!

Justin: I'm pretty sure that it's rated for my cpu/MB and components.

DAPUNISHER: Thanks so much for your help from the start.

Buz2b: Likewise, thanks for your comprehensive help. Although, the yelling really only makes me feel worse. Don't worry, though, I'm sure it's just me being girly.

Well, after carefully following instructions, I've still got nothing. Posted below are some more pics (I deleted the other ones from my account, btw).

http://www.geocities.com/noiie10110/DSC00736.JPG <-- Current setup
http://www.geocities.com/noiie10110/DSC00737.JPG <-- the same. My new case is on the right.
http://www.geocities.com/noiie10110/DSC00740.JPG <-- cpu/MB and new case
http://www.geocities.com/noiie10110/DSC00745.JPG <-- current switch setup.

I really appreciate so many responses from you guys. Hopefully, this thing can be fixed relatively soon. Or at all!

 

[WarCon]

I don't know if this is your problem, but this is from PC Chips webpage on that mobo.

Supports AMD K7 Athlon/Duron 500M~1.4GHz CPUs with frequency at 200/266MHz in Socket A for ATX Form Factor.

Maybe it isn't compatible with that processor without a bios upgrade (if even then). Do you have an older AMD K7 processor (maybe from your old system) laying around that you might try?

 

[Buz2b]

Maybe it isn't compatible with that processor

Good point but I see the same board sold all over the web with XP processors.

 

[WarCon]

Yeah your right, I guess its basically the same board as the ECS K7S5A. I don't know what it would be then. She is down to the bare minimum without parts swapping.

I think if its time to start RMAing, she should start with that motherboard considering ECS/PCChips reputation. Either you get a good running board or one that dies pretty quick.

 

[WarCon]

I was looking at those pictures again and is it normal for that much of the chip to be sticking out from under the heatsink. It sure looks like it is up over the socket. Is that thing on backwards?

 

[DAPUNISHER]

noiie, Go ahead and put the board back in the case the way I described in my first post and connect the ATX power connector and power on button connector(usually the lettering on the connector should face out away from the board the opposite from the way it is in the pic) to the board then put the vid card in. I won't be surprised if that stick of Dell memory you are using is totaly incompatable with that board, that shouldn't keep you from getting at least an error beep though. I would suggest if it still doesn't work after trying everything everyone has suggested that you either consider RMAing the board as it could be a bad board and RMAing it could solve your problems, or take all the parts to the computer store with you this weekend and pay to have them build it and test it for you after determing if all your parts such as that stick of Dell ram will work with it, or return the parts you just bought to the vendor, get a refund, and buy a new Dell. I'm not trying to be mean by suggesting a Dell again, it's just that if you go through
here you will see that they have some great prices on Dimension 4500 systems such as a P4 2.26ghz system for 549$ shipped and possibly a 5% stackable coupon to add to it! It's hard to build your own for much cheaper and you get the Dell service and support and after your recent experience I'm sure you will agree that getting rid of the headaches and having peace of mind is worth a great deal You can always reassemble your old system and sell it for what you can to help make up the difference. Anyways, Good luck whatever you decide to do and please let me know how it turns out

 

[Buz2b]

I will only say that I second what Dapunisher says.

 

[FluxCapacitor]

Umm, none of your new pictures actually have the power supply connected to the motherboard.... just the power button... But have you actually tested the board with both the power supply and the power button connected?

And like WarCon and DAPUNISHER said, it could be a defective motherboard.

 

[noiie]

Hey, some success! *biiig grin*

With the help of a friend of mine, I found out what was causing the start-up problem. I should've mentioned on here that my old computer was a Pentium II, and should've KNOWN that the sdram that I used with it wouldn't be up to par enough to use on my new board. Sigh. Anyway, when I hooked up my strip of ddr, the power supply, and the power button, it worked! Hurrah!

Of course, now, although all the fans are running just fine, I'm not getting any display on my monitor for the BIOS. As in, the monitor isn't even registering that anything is happening. I'm thinking that the problem could be that my video card is just too old. I tried it with and without the PCI card. No go. I ordered a new video card anyway (mine wasn't all that up to scratch to start with), which should be here next week. But can anyone think of another reason why it's not working? Or, is there a step I'm missing?

Once again, please pardon my ignorance in these matters. But on the upside, I'm learning more about the guts of my computer than I ever thought I would! Many, MANY thanks again to everyone who's posted and tried to help me in my trails. You all rule! Thank you!!